Man's Best Friend
by foreverx
Summary: A new friend helps Mulder who's injured and trapped inside a freight train car.


Summary: Injured and trapped inside a freight train car, Mulder

depends on Scully and a new four-legged friend to rescue him.

Spoilers: Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, Quagmire

Keywords: Mulder Angst

Rated: PG

Completed March 13, 1998

Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and situations

created by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox

Broadcasting. Used without permission and no infringement is

intended. All other contents are copyrighted to the author.

Author's notes:

This story was originally planned to be something quite different

than it turned out. What it was supposed to be was an insightful look

into Mulder's personal thoughts about his life or complete lack

thereof. However, what it has become instead is a tribute to my best

friend Dynamite, a thirteen-year-old Siberian Husky-German

Shepherd mix, who recently passed away. Lots of references to

Scully's late pooch, Queequeg. Okay, enough said. Please, read on.

--------------

"Man's Best Friend"

by Fran Glass aka Dynojet@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/dynojet/foreverx/

Chapter 1 of 4

Thursday, January 8, 1998

Alexandria

5:47 a.m.

He was being followed. For the past mile and a half, Mulder had

become aware that his movements were being mimicked as he jogged

away from the park back towards his apartment. He picked up his

pace and glanced over his shoulder, noting that his shadow had done

the same and was steadily gaining ground. Mulder scoured his

surroundings for a weapon he could use and paused to snatch up the

first thing he saw. He turned and hurled the foot-long fallen tree

limb at his follower and watched as it completely sailed over his

intended victim's head. The flying wood proved to be in invitation to

play rather than a deterrent. Mulder stood with hands on hips and

sighed in annoyance when the limb was quickly retrieved and

brought instantly back to him.

"Don't you know when someone's trying to take your fool head

off?" he asked while backing up a few steps, trying to keep a safe

distance between himself and the large canine that wanted to be his

friend. At least he hoped that was all it wanted. It hadn't barked or

growled at him, only trotted cautiously behind him for the past

fifteen minutes. Tossing the stick seemed to have sealed the

relationship as far as the dog was concerned. He let it drop from his

mouth to lay at Mulder's feet, then looked up hopefully at the tall

stranger, tail wagging eagerly awaiting another toss.

"Okay," said Mulder, as he reached carefully for the stick. He

wasn't particularly fond of dogs. Over the years, there had been

occasional run-ins with snapping jaws and bared teeth, but luckily, he

had been able to ward off an attack with either cunning or speed.

Most had been fairly harmless, but he knew that even the most gentle

looking canine could still bite. This one, so far showed no desire to

attack, though it was a frightfully large animal, mostly white and

wolf-like in appearance. So far, the dog merely wanted to play, so

Mulder decided to oblige. "Okay boy. Go get it!" He chucked the

stick with all his might and grinned when the dog took off after it.

"Sucker," Mulder grinned, then turned to run in the opposite

direction.

Glancing over his shoulder, Mulder checked on the progress of

the pooch and noticed that the stick he had thrown had landed in the

center of a three-way intersection. He sputtered to a halt and watched

with concern as the animal neared its goal with total abandon. It was

a residential area with fairly low speed limits and light traffic, still

Mulder felt a tightening in his gut as he watched the dog headed at

top speed towards the intersection. He had only wanted it to stop

following him, he didn't want to see it become roadkill. Quickly

pulling off the glove on his right hand, Mulder placed his thumb and

index finger into the corners of his mouth and let loose with a shrill,

attention-getting whistle. The dog stopped in its tracks and turned

back to see his new playmate signaling with a wave for him to come

back. The dog was then startled by a fast moving pickup truck

speeding through the intersection, snapping the stick in two under its

wheels. Mulder blew out a relieved sigh when the animal turned

away from the danger and headed back towards him.

Mulder slipped his glove back on and jogged in place to keep

warm in the forty-degree weather while waiting for his new four-

legged companion to reach him. He had to admit to himself that it

was a regal looking animal, though he wasn't sure of its lineage. Its

face, chest and legs were solid white, while its back and bushy,

turned-up tail were a blend of black and brown. Thick-coated and

powerfully built, it looked like it should be the lead on a sled dog

team. Mulder was sure he had seen similar dogs in the Alaskan

wilderness programs he'd seen on television. It appeared to be

healthy and well-groomed, not just a mangy mutt, but more likely a

beloved pet that had recently strayed away from home. 

"Sorry about that," Mulder apologized to the animal when it

came and stood expectantly in front of him. "I don't suppose just

telling you to go home would help, would it?" In response, the dog

merely sat down on its haunches. "That's what I thought. You

wouldn't happen to have any ID on you, would you?" Mulder knelt

down and carefully reached his hand out to make contact. He met no

resistance or aggression whatsoever as he examined the metal tag that

hung from the dog's red, leather collar. He found the dog's name and

a phone number to call if lost, engraved into the heart-shaped metal.

Mulder grinned as he petted the dog's head and barely avoided a wet

tongue against his cheek. "Okay, okay. I'll help you find your way

home. Let's go... Pooh."

-----

Mulder was hesitant about allowing the dog into his apartment,

but couldn't figure out anything else to do with it for the time being.

His paranoia was threatening to surface when he began imagining

that the dog would suddenly turn vicious and rip out his throat. He

picked up his gun and turned off the safety in preparation for an

attack, then went into the kitchen and removed a bottle of spring

water from the fridge. He took several swigs for himself then

thoughtfully filled a bowl with some of the water and offered it to

his guest. As the animal drank, Mulder went to the phone in the

living room and placed a call to the number from the dog tag. He

waited through eight rings before deciding no one was home.

Perhaps the owner was already out searching for his or her missing

pet. He'd have to try again later, but for now, it was time for him to

get ready for work.

"Listen," he spoke to the dog, "I'm going to go take a shower and

get dressed for work. You will behave yourself. You will not tear up

anything, you will not pee or crap on my floors and you will not do

any barking. You will stay right here and keep quiet and out of

trouble. Understand?" If the furry beast did understand any of that,

he showed no outward indications of such. All Mulder could do was 

cross his fingers and hope for the best as he began to shed his sweats

and head for the bathroom for a quick shower and shave. He

emerged ten minutes later with a towel wrapped about his waist and

one draped about his shoulders. He was anxious to see what kind of

condition his living room was in and was relieved to see everything

just as he had left it. The dog had settled down peacefully on the

throw rug in front of the coffee table, and lifted his head up as

Mulder made an appearance in the room.

"I see you're still here," said Mulder, toweling his hair dry. He

sniffed the air for any unpleasant odors, and thankfully found none. 

"I guess this means you're house-broken, huh? Good."

Picking up the cordless phone, Mulder dialed the number from

the tag again, but was still unable to reach anyone. If he couldn't

contact the owner by the time he was ready to leave for work, the

only other alternative he could think of was to simply drop the dog

off at the nearest animal shelter. He decided to make another phone

call, having to wait through only two rings before a smooth, female

voice replied, "Scully."

"Hey, Scully, it's me. I might be a little late getting into the office

today. I've got a pet project to take care of first.

"What sort of pet project?"

"The canine variety. This big, fury animal followed me home and

I'm trying to contact the owner to return it. Failing that, I'll make a

detour by the Humane Society to drop it off."

"Mulder, are you saying that you have a dog in your apartment

right now?

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to see it become roadkill."

"I thought you hated dogs."

"I never said I hated dogs."

"You certainly didn't have any warm feelings for Queequeg."

True, not that he considered the poor departed Queequeg much

of a dog. He had thought of Scully's ill-fated pet as little more than a

dust mop with teeth. It also didn't help matters to know that the little

fur ball had dined on the remains of its previous owner. He nearly

chose to remind his partner of that fact but wisely thought better of it.

"I am not a dog person. I will admit that."

"And yet you're going out of your way to help a stray get back

home? What kind of dog is it?"

"I'm not sure. It looks as big as a wolf, but I'm guessing it's some

kind of Eskimo dog. It's mostly white and looks like it should be

pulling a sled. And get this: the name on the tag reads Pooh. As in,

Winnie the...." Mulder snickered at the absurdity of such a wimpy

name cast upon a large, adult male dog.

Seemingly reading his mind over the phone, Scully responded,

"Mulder, he was probably named by a child when he was just a tiny

puppy; a small and cuddly little ball of fur."

"Scully, I've never told you this before, but I really like it when

you talk puppy talk," Mulder teased.

"Mulder?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to bring any fleas to work."

--------

Mulder tried one last time to contact the dog's owner before

leaving home, still with no success. The dog had remained silently

curled up on the accent carpet all the while Mulder was getting

dressed. He appeared to be asleep but instantly came to life when he

heard the door being opened. He was at Mulder's side ready to go

without prompting.

"If you see any of my neighbors, just be cool, okay? And please,

no biting."

He didn't understand why he was talking to the dog as if the

animal could possibly understand anything he said. Surely, it

probably knew certain rudimentary words and commands, and could

possibly grasp some comprehension from various intonations, but the

odds of it getting the full meaning of complete sentences dotted with

slang were not that great. Not being a dog person, Mulder was

surprised at how easily he accepted this animal at his side as they

boarded the elevator together. When the elevator came to a stop at

the next floor to let someone on, Mulder slipped his hand through

the red collar to hold the pooch in place. He wasn't sure how it

would react around others and he didn't want to create a scene.

When the door opened, an attractive woman dressed in a short-

skirted business suit under her opened overcoat prepared to step on

board. Mulder had seen her several times before. She had always

given him an icy greeting, seeming to have a predisposed dislike for 

him or perhaps it was a dislike for all men. At any rate, her body 

language had always screamed, 'Back off!' which Mulder wisely did. 

She saw him and the mask of distaste was brought forth, then she 

looked down and saw the dog and registered surprise.

"Is that your dog?" she asked before stepping in.

"No. No, it's not. I found it this morning while out jogging, and 

I'm going to see if I can find its owner. So you don't have to worry. 

I know it's against the rules to have dogs here."

She stepped into the elevator and reached her hand out to pet the 

dog. Mulder was about to warn her to be careful but it wasn't 

necessary. Pooh obviously appreciated the attention and lifted a paw 

to shake hands.

"Oh, she's beautiful."

"He," Mulder corrected her. "If my study of anatomy is correct."

The woman smiled up at him, then turned her attention to the dog 

again, still petting it and speaking in a higher-pitched voice with 

babying overtones. "You're such a big, beautiful pup-pup, aren't 

you? Big, sweet baby, yes you are."

Scully's puppy talk had been amusing, but this was almost 

nauseating. He tried not to let it show when the woman looked at him 

again with a genuine smile and said, "I never would have pegged you 

for a dog person. I think it's real sweet what you're doing. I just love 

big dogs. He looks like a cross between a German Shepherd and a 

Siberian Husky."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," Mulder lied.

The conversation with Wanda -- already on a first name basis -- 

continued out to his car where they finally parted ways on very good 

terms. Mulder opened the back door and gently urged the dog inside. 

After climbing in behind the wheel and starting the car, Mulder 

looked over his shoulder at his passenger, stretched comfortably out 

on the back seat.

"You're quite the little ice-breaker, aren't you?" Mulder grinned. 

"I see now why they call you man's best friend. Try not to get car-

sick back there, okay?"

--------

Within a few blocks of reaching the animal shelter, Mulder came 

upon some police activity that drew his curiosity. Four police 

cruisers and a couple of unmarked vehicles were parked in front of a 

private girls' school. Mulder rolled down his window and displayed 

his badge to a uniformed cop who was directing traffic to move along.

"Fox Mulder, FBI. What's going on here?"

"A fifteen-year-old girl's been allegedly kidnapped. Probably just 

a run away though. You know how it is with these rich kids. Always 

doing something to get their folks' attention. She must be the 

daughter of some bigwig if they're calling in the FBI."

"No, I was just driving by. Looks like you guys got enough 

manpower on the case already. Good luck with it."

"Hey, nice dog," the cop said, pointing towards the back seat. 

"Government issue?"

"No, it's a stray I found this morning. Taking him to the animal 

shelter. There's one around here somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, just go down to the end of the street and take a left. It's a 

big white building on your right. You can't miss it."

"Thanks a lot." Mulder gestured his appreciation and drove on. 

As he came to a stop sign at the end of the block, he looked to his 

right and noticed a young man climbing over the high fence in the 

back of the academy. The man removed a pair of binoculars from 

around his neck, then quickly got into a parked, black jeep around 

the corner. Acting on instincts and nothing more, Mulder proceeded 

to follow behind the vehicle at a safe distance.

After thirty minutes of driving, which included a stop at a fast 

food drive-thru, Mulder was beginning to think that he was wasting 

his time trailing the black jeep. He was all set to give up when he saw 

the jeep heading into the railroad stock yard. His curiosity further 

piqued, Mulder continued to follow. The jeep finally came to a stop 

on a gravel covered area in front of several tracks of engineless 

freight cars. Mulder parked out of view of the jeep behind a deserted 

warehouse. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he found himself talking 

to the dog again and shook his head in disbelief at the ease in which 

he had accepted the animal into his world. Upon getting out of the 

car, he gently pushed the door closed, not bothering to make sure the 

locking mechanism caught.

As Mulder reached the edge of the warehouse and looked around 

the corner, he saw the young man he'd been following in a crouching 

position on top of a tubular-shaped, black freight car. Along with 

several numbers in bold, white paint was the word 'Sugar.' Mulder 

watched as the man opened the hatch on top of the tank car and 

dropped something through the opening. Mulder took out his 

revolver, ready to approach his quarry. He felt that it was quite 

possible that this was the kidnapper of the teenage girl from the 

school, and that she was being held captive inside the tank car. His 

plan was to capture the suspect as he climbed down from the train, 

but his attention became diverted by something brushing against his 

leg. He gasped at the sudden, unknown contact, then expelled a heavy 

sigh when he looked down to see what it was.

"You nearly scared the life out of me," Mulder whispered. 

"Look, you need to go back to the car and wait for me, okay? Go 

back to the car." Mulder pointed, hoping that the animal would at 

least understand the hand gesture, but the dog simply stared at the 

pointing hand instead. Mulder looked around on the ground for a 

stick to toss, but found none available. He took off his left glove, 

pulled it halfway inside out to give it more fullness, then tossed it 

towards the car. "Go play with the glove," Mulder told him, and the 

animal did what it was told. Mulder quickly turned to look around 

the edge of the building again and found the suspect nowhere in 

sight. "Damn! Where'd he go?"

Mulder moved cautiously forward with his gun poised to fire. He 

kept his eyes on the move, looking all about himself as he 

approached the jeep. When he discovered no one hiding inside, he 

looked towards the trains and considered the possibility that the man 

may have gone into the freight car with the kidnap victim. Could be 

he was hurting her at that moment. The thought occurred to Mulder 

that he should have called for backup, but now that his hand was on 

the first wrung of the iron ladder leading to the top of the tank car, 

he didn't want anything else to divert his attention away from his 

goal. If that bastard was in there hurting her, he didn't want to waste 

another second getting to them. Silently making it to the top, Mulder 

positioned himself over the opened hatch and pointed his gun down 

into the darkness.

"FBI, don't move!"

He couldn't see if anyone was moving or not. It was pitch black 

inside the rail car. Mulder took out a penlight from his coat pocket 

and focused the tiny beam into the shadows, bending down on one 

knee in order to lean in and get a better view. There was a crumbled 

bag from the fast food restaurant, but other than that, the car 

appeared to be empty. Suddenly, Mulder heard barking from the 

ground. He looked over the edge and saw Pooh, the hair raised on 

his back, his teeth bared and barking viciously up at him. Too late, 

Mulder realized that the barking wasn't aimed at him. He caught 

sight of a shadow falling across his path, then the back of his head 

exploded with pain and he fell forward, dropping his flashlight down 

into the opened hatch. His gun flew out of his other hand, landing 

where, he couldn't tell. He felt hands on him, first removing his coat, 

then maneuvering him towards the opening in the tank.

Despite the stabs of pain in his head and the dizziness he was 

experiencing, Mulder could still sense what was happening to him. 

He tried to grab the dark-haired man who was pushing him towards 

the gaping blackness. Failing that, he tried holding on to the edge to 

prevent his descent. Something hard jabbed into his side twice in 

quick succession, causing him to scream out in agony and relinquish 

his safety hold. The next thing he knew, he was tumbling through 

darkness. He tried to brace his fall with his hands but upon landing, 

heard something pop. He cried out as a searing pain tore through his 

left shoulder. That, added to the dizzying ache in his head and 

bruising right side was reason enough for Mulder to call it a day. As 

his world grew darker and he drifted off into a state of 

unconsciousness, the last thing he remembered hearing were the far 

away muffled sounds of a dog barking and growling, followed by a 

single gunshot.

--------

Chapter 2 of 4

FBI Headquarters

Thursday, 11:15 a.m.

Scully glared at her watch again. "Where the hell is he?" she 

fumed aloud. "Just how long does it take to drop a dog off at the 

animal shelter? If he thinks he's going to take half the day off and 

leave me with all this damn paperwork...."

This wasn't the first time her partner had found a reason to stay 

away from their office when he knew the expense accounts were due 

and a basket full of reports still remained to be typed and filed. She 

thought of giving him another fifteen minutes before calling but 

after ten seconds, she could no longer contain her curiosity. She 

picked up the phone and dialed his cellular number. All that greeted 

her were several rings followed by a recording suggesting that the 

number she was trying to reach was currently out of service. Scully 

slammed the receiver back down. He had probably turned it off. It 

wasn't the first time he had done that either. Scully recalled vividly 

one instance her partner had deliberately tuned her out. It was the 

night he met Bambi, the pretty entomologist who caught his eye 

during an investigation of invading cockroaches.

Perhaps this time he had encountered a pretty veterinarian while 

checking out an abnormal flea infestation. Of course, she could be 

wrong. The battery could be dead in his phone, the dog may have 

needed medical attention and Mulder was too preoccupied to give her 

a call. Scully preferred to give him the benefit of a doubt. Ever since 

her illness and miraculous recovery, he had shown her more 

consideration than he had in the past. Just the fact that he had called 

her earlier that morning to inform her that he would be late was 

proof of that. In the old days he would simply take off to parts 

unknown and leave her to worry what had become of him and hunt 

down clues he may have left behind. But since her close brush with 

death, he had taken to keeping her well informed of his whereabouts. 

Keeping that in mind, Scully pushed her anger back down and 

continued with the paperwork, knowing that Mulder would either be 

calling her soon or walking through the door with a darn good story 

to tell.

--------

Back At The Train Yard

12:22 p.m.

Mulder blinked his eyes several times to convince himself that he 

was actually seeing what was before him, which was absolutely 

nothing. Besides awaking with a case of the shivers, excruciating 

pain emanating from his left shoulder and the sensation that someone 

had dropped an anvil on his head, Mulder's world had become one of 

utter darkness. There was a chance that he'd suffered some damage 

to his optical nerve; perhaps some simple swelling that would easily 

heal with proper rest and treatment. He'd try not to worry about it 

for now. First, there was the monumental task of shifting himself 

into a more comfortable position. He lay in a twisted heap on a cold, 

smooth surface, his right arm beneath his torso, his legs bent and 

crossing each other, and his aching left arm twisted behind his back.

Gasping in agony at the effort, Mulder slowly forced himself up 

into an upright position. A new explosion of pain both in his head 

and shoulder nearly caused him to black out again. Cradling his 

injured arm close to his chest, he attempted to take a few deep 

breaths, but discovered a good reason not to. He recalled getting a 

couple of kicks to his ribs. He was left with an uncomfortable 

tightness in his chest which made taking deep breaths difficult to 

master. It probably signified either bruised or cracked ribs. Mulder 

loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar, then sat quietly for several 

minutes and waited for all his aches to settle to a more tolerable level.

He thought at first that his arm had been broken, but a very 

careful and tentative inspection informed him that he was suffering 

instead from a dislocated shoulder. He recalled that Mel Gibson had a 

dislocated shoulder in one of the "Lethal Weapon" movies. Mel had 

dislocated it on purpose to maneuver himself out of a straight jacket. 

He was also able to pop his shoulder back into position by banging it 

against a hard surface. Of course, that was only a movie and a 

contrived plot device. Although Mulder couldn't help but give the 

idea some thought, he took in consideration that Mel let out a pretty 

convincing scream when he slammed that shoulder against the side of 

a car door to reset it. No, the "Lethal Weapon" way was not the most 

desirable route to take.

Okay, next on the agenda was to figure out how to get out of his 

current dilemma. He mentally pushed the pain aside so he could 

concentrate on his predicament. It occurred to him that perhaps he 

wasn't suffering from blindness after all and that he just happened to 

be in a place with no light. His penlight was probably down here 

somewhere, he thought. He was about to conduct a search for it when 

his right hand brushed against his left wrist and he remembered what 

kind of watch he was wearing. His fingers fumbled about for a 

second or two, then a bright, green glow lit up the watch dial. He 

nearly cried with relief when he saw the faint illumination of his 

immediate surroundings.

"Okay," he sighed. "That helps."

He looked up at the ceiling, just barely able to make out the hatch 

which he had been tossed through. It seemed unbearably far away, 

but he knew it would get no closer with him just sitting there. But 

first, he loosened his necktie further and shoved it upwards until it 

circled his head and covered the stinging gash opened up behind his 

left ear. He carefully wrapped and tucked in the ends of the tie to 

create a bandage. He then proceeded to remove his belt from his 

waistband, secure the ends, then drape it around his neck to use as a 

sling to help keep his injured shoulder immobile. The simple motions 

took a lot out of him and he was panting hard by the time he had 

finished. He had to take a few moments to rest before continuing. 

Once he felt ready to proceed, he slowly rose to his feet. Dizziness 

struck and he reached out with his right hand, hoping to find a perch 

to steady himself. Thankfully, he met with the smooth, curved wall 

of the tank and held himself still until the dizzy spell passed. 

After a moment, he was able to try again. He stood up straight, 

then turned on the tiny light on his watch again. Lifting his eyes 

towards the sealed exit, he tried to calculate the distance he now 

needed to cover. He glumly realized that he wouldn't be able to reach 

the hatch without at least a two-foot leap into the air. If the hatch was 

not locked, he could push it open with his first jump. He'd need to 

make a second one to grab the edge of the opening and pull himself 

up. He'd done his share of one-handed chin-ups, but that had been 

when he was in top form. He wasn't sure he could manage it in his 

present condition, but if he wanted out, he'd have to give it his best try.

He took one last look at his target before releasing the tiny light-

giving button on his watch. He then took a few preparatory breaths 

and finally made a stab at leaping up to slap his open palm against the 

closed hatch door. It turned out to be locked, and he only succeeded 

in further aggravating his injuries. As he landed, his legs buckled 

and he sank to his knees, trying desperately to catch his breath and 

pacify his screaming shoulder. He could tell now that gaining his 

freedom was not going to be a simple task. The other thought to 

cross his mind was that Scully was going to kill him.

--------

FBI HEADQUARTERS

3:15 p.m.

Mulder still had not reported in. Scully tried his cell phone again, 

then his home number but still had no luck in reaching him. She used 

the computer's phone book to get numbers to contact all the animal 

hospitals and shelters in Mulder's neighborhood and general area. No 

one had seen or heard of her partner or the animal he was with. As a 

last resort, Scully put a call in to the Lone Gunmen. Her hopes that 

perhaps he had been recently in touch with them were quickly 

doused. None of them had heard from him but they vowed to put 

feelers out in case he had been drawn into some covert operation.

Scully decided to go check out Mulder's apartment. Perhaps he 

had never even left home, but if that was the case, it could mean he 

had possibly fallen victim to illness, accident or worse. As Scully 

found a place to park in front of Mulder's building, she noted the 

absence of his car in the area. So, he had left home, or at least his car 

had. She needed to check out his apartment anyway. Perhaps she 

could discover a crumb of a clue as to what may have happened to 

him. As she was about to enter the main entrance, she caught sight of 

a white blur out the corner of her eye. She turned to get a better 

look and was pounced upon and nearly knocked over, by a huge, 

furred beast. She stood petrified for a few moments as a pair of 

large, white paws pressed against her upper chest, and rows of big, 

sharp teeth loomed close to her face. When a wet tongue gently 

licked at her chin, she finally realized that she was not about to be 

eaten alive.

She reached a gloved hand up and timidly petted the dog's head. 

"Good dog," she spoke to it, keeping her voice level and non-

threatening. "Down, boy. Down."

The animal gave her one final kiss, then dropped down to all 

fours. Scully released a relieved sigh, her heart no longer racing. 

Thinking back to Mulder's description, she realized that this was the 

dog he had been trying to help get back home.

"You must be Pooh."

He reacted to the sound of his name by offering his paw to shake. 

Scully stooped down and reciprocated the gesture, then lightly 

stroked his back. "Hi, big guy. How are you? What happened, huh? 

Did my partner ditch you too?"

Pooh trotted away towards a large evergreen bush, dug around 

near its base, then came back to Scully with something in his mouth. 

Scully reached down and took the man's black, leather glove the dog 

offered her. She easily recognized it as one of Mulder's. She wanted 

to ask the animal where he had gotten it, but knew she'd be wasting 

her breath. Then she happened to notice some dark splotches on 

Pooh's white fur. Upon closer examination, Scully realized that she 

was looking at dried blood, and that it didn't belong to the pooch. 

She stood, considering the possibilities. Only two came to mind. One 

was that her partner had been injured in an accident of some kind 

and Pooh was perhaps doing an imitation of Lassie getting help for 

little Timmy who's trapped in the well. Her second guess was more 

insidious. It could be that the sweet, innocent-looking face in front of 

her had an evil side to him. Scully had heard of cases where dogs had 

been conditioned to attack and kill with a simple word or sound. 

They could be completely docile until the cue to kill was given.

Scully carefully looked about the area to see if she could spot 

someone watching her. If Mulder had stepped into some insipid trap, 

she could be the next victim. Seeing no obvious signs of surveillance, 

she took out her phone and made a call to Animal Control. She 

informed them that she had a possible vicious dog on her hands and 

requested an immediate pickup. When she was told that a truck 

would be by in about fifteen minutes, Scully studied the passive 

animal, trying to decide what to do with it while she waited. She 

needed to be able to keep it from running away and she still needed 

to check out Mulder's apartment. She placed her right hand on her 

holster and unstrapped her gun, preparing it for easy access should 

the dog suddenly turn violent. She then, gently tugged on the dog's 

collar to get it to go with her into the building.

She chose to use the stairs instead of the elevator. It would be just 

her luck if the dog had been trained to attack by the sound of an 

elevator's 'Ding.' She made it to Mulder's apartment without incident 

and after quickly taking a sample of the dried blood from the dog's 

coat, she escorted it into the bathroom and closed the door. Releasing 

a deep sigh over her accomplishments thus far, Scully began to look 

around the apartment, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. 

She checked Mulder's two phone messages, one being from her and 

the other from Frohike, both trying to ascertain his whereabouts. 

She moved on to his computer to see if he'd left her any messages. 

When she didn't find any, she snooped through his e-mail, then the 

leftover files in the browser cache that showed the places he had last 

visited on the internet. She wasn't surprised to find that he'd been 

surfing through the adult sites and a couple of UFO sites, but 

according to the dates, that had been three days ago.

There seemed to be no other choice but to start calling the 

hospitals to see if he had been admitted. This wasn't the first time she 

had to do this and she had the numbers already programmed into her 

cell phone. She went down the list systematically, giving her 

partner's name, then inquiring about any dog bite victims or John 

Doe's fitting his description. No one fitting Mulder's description 

could be found but one dog bite victim had shown up at the 

Georgetown emergency room. His name was given as Victor Moore, 

but he was too young and much too short to be her partner.

Scully's next step was to put out an APB for Mulder's car. She 

hated to have to inform Skinner that her partner had gone missing, 

but she knew that he had come to trust in her instincts in these 

matters. She wasn't sure herself how she knew that Mulder had 

somehow gotten himself into serious trouble once again. She just 

knew she had to go with her gut feelings and do everything possible 

to find him, fast.

--------

Train Yard

7:42 p.m.

Mulder's abandoned car had been spotted by police cruising in 

the area. A detailed search of the nearby warehouse and the 

surrounding grounds was launched as soon as Scully arrived. After 

giving out instructions, Scully turned her attentions to Mulder's car, 

checking the interior for blood, but finding none. She did, however, 

notice a number of thick, white hairs on the back seat and a couple in 

the front seat that let her know that the dog had indeed been 

traveling with him. But there was nothing to indicate an attack took 

place inside the car. Scully got out and aimed her high-powered 

flashlight towards the ground, hoping to find a trail of footprints, 

but the surface was mostly gravel. Instead of moving into the 

warehouse to search, she chose to go to the rear of the building near 

the railroad tracks.

"Muld-d-der-r-r!"

It was faint. Very faint, and he thought at first that he had 

dreamed it. He forced himself to shake off his sleep and held his 

breath as he listened intently.

"Agent Fox Muld-d-de-r-r-r!"

"Scully," he whispered. "Here... I'm in here."

Her voice grew slightly louder as she began to move in his 

direction. Mulder knew he had to make some noise to be heard. He 

yelled out her name and his location, and banged his fist several 

times against the wall of the car. It sounded loud to him and he 

waited to see if she had heard.

She probably would have heard him if not for the noisy, static 

calls from police radios, the loud whirling from the approaching 

helicopter called in to aid with its search lights and the rumblings of 

nearby train engines. Still, her instincts were leading her straight 

towards him until a female agent ran up to her excitedly.

"Agent Scully, we've found something!"

Scully turned and trotted off with the other agent away from the 

train cars and away from her partner's pathetic, muffled plea for 

help. She was led to an area where a set of tire tracks was found 

alongside a man's bloodied and torn trench coat. Scully instantly 

recognized the coat as that of her missing partner. Her suspicions 

that he had been attacked by the dog appeared substantiated. Blood 

was found in sparse amounts on the ground all around where the coat 

lay. The signs that another vehicle had been in the immediate area 

indicated that perhaps someone had found Mulder and carted him off 

somewhere. She could only hope that someone had recently dropped 

him off at the nearest hospital. She'd have to make another round of 

calls. Even though she had left a message to be contacted should her 

partner or someone fitting his description show up later, she didn't 

trust that the message would be passed on during a shift change.

"Let's get pictures of this area, then bag the coat," Scully 

instructed her fellow agents. "I've got some things to check out."

He no longer heard her voice, and he feared that she hadn't heard 

him. His hand was sore from slamming it against the hard, stainless 

steel surface and his voice hoarse from yelling her name, but she 

hadn't heard. He hung his head dejectedly. The dizziness returned 

and he was short of breath. He was right on the edge of passing out 

again.

"Scully," he whimpered. "Don't leave me here. Please...."

As he leaned back trying to catch his breath, Mulder found 

himself equating his predicament with the residents that lived on the 

tiny speck of dust in Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who." Scully was 

his Horton. If anyone could hear him, she would. All he needed to do 

was give one large, ear-shattering yell, which he did. "Scul-l-l-l-l-ly-

ly-ly-ly!" he screamed her name at the top of his lungs, causing his 

chest to tighten with pain and his head to pound fiercely. But it was 

worth the effort, he thought. She had to have heard him. Panting 

hard, he laid back and rested, waiting for her to throw open the 

hatch and haul him out, knowing that he couldn't repeat himself if 

his life depended on it, not that it didn't.

As Scully reached her car, she thought she heard someone calling 

to her. She looked around to see if anyone was trying to grab her 

attention, but the half-dozen men and women divided between the 

bloodied coat and Mulder's car, seemed to be otherwise occupied 

searching for clues and collecting evidence. She listened intently for 

a moment for any kind of follow-up, but the helicopter circling 

above and a train whistle blasting nearby made her think that she had 

only imagined hearing her name mixed in with all the surrounding 

chaos. Then again....

"Agent Scully?" a male voice called out to her from behind.

She turned to face the black officer approaching her. Noting the 

nameplate on the man's jacket, she responded, "Yes, Officer Garret. 

Have you found something?"

"No, ma'am. And I don't know if this has any relevance, but 

sometimes it's the little things, you know."

"Yes, I know," she offered him a weak smile. "What is it, Officer?"

"Well, it's just that I happened to see Agent Mulder this morning 

around eight-thirty. He was passing by the Broward Academy, where 

a reported kidnapping was being investigated. I was keeping the 

traffic moving and he rolled down his window to ask me what all the 

brouhaha was all about."

"What did you tell him?"

"That it was probably just some rich kid running away or trying 

to get attention from her parents."

"Then what happened?"

"Nothing really. I asked him if the FBI was getting involved and 

he said it looked like we had enough manpower already. Then he 

wished me luck and drove on."

"And did he have a dog with him?"

"Yeah, he did. It was a beautiful animal, just kind of lounging 

real relaxed on the back seat. I was kind of impressed with it. My 

dog goes bunkers when I put him in the car."

"Anything else you can think of?"

"Well, just one thing. He said that he was going to take the dog to 

the animal shelter around the corner. Even asked me for directions. I 

told him he needed to turn left at the corner. But I noticed when he 

stopped at the intersection, he kind of sat there for a while, then he 

made a right turn instead of a left, like he suddenly changed his mind 

about taking the dog to the shelter. That's the last I saw of him."

"Thank you. That might be of some help."

The young man tipped his hat then went to join his coworkers.

Leave it to Mulder to turn something so mundane like dropping a 

dog off at a shelter into an adventure. Scully seated herself behind 

the wheel of her car and started the engine. As she began to drive 

off, she found herself speaking aloud. "Where the hell are you, 

Mulder?" she groaned wearily. She hated it when he played hide and 

seek. She was always it, always the one doing the seeking. Well, 

there was that one time when someone hid her against her will and 

Mulder tried unsuccessfully for months to find her. Looking at it 

that way, it was probably best that she be the one doing the seeking. 

Searching for Mulder was no picnic but she stood a better chance at 

finding him than the other way around. "Okay, Mulder, we'll play 

this game one last time."

--------

FBI HEADQUARTERS

Friday, 9:18 a.m.

"Agent Scully?"

Scully lifted her head from Mulder's desk at the sound of her 

name. She was more than just a little embarrassed at having A.D. 

Skinner catch her sleeping on the job. She stole a quick glance at her 

watch and figured she'd only been asleep for about fifteen minutes. 

She straightened up in her chair and swiped the hair back from her eyes.

"Sir, I was just resting my eyes for a moment. Has there been any 

news yet about Agent Mulder?"

"No. Doesn't look like you've gotten much sleep."

"No, not much. I was going over the forensic reports on Agent 

Mulder's... case."

Skinner grabbed a nearby chair and sat down across the desk 

from her. "What have you found so far?" he inquired.

"Well, for one thing, most of the blood found on the coat does 

not belong to Mulder."

"Most?"

"There was a small amount of blood found on the collar that 

tested positive as coming from Agent Mulder, but the majority of the 

blood belongs to someone else. It matches the blood found on the dog."

"So it would seem that the dog attacked whomever attacked Agent 

Mulder?"

"Yes, sir, it would seem so. Judging from the condition of the 

coat, the suspect used it to help ward off the dog's attack. There was 

one dog bite victim reported yesterday. I have a pretty good 

description of the suspect, but the name and address he used were 

bogus and after receiving treatment, he walked out of the emergency 

ward without a doctor's release. A couple of witnesses from the 

hospital will be coming in to look through mug shots. Hopefully, he 

has a record and we'll be better able to find him." 

"What about the dog? Still unable to contact its owner?"

"Still no answer by phone. I plan to stop by the residence today 

and check it out. In the meantime the dog will remain at the animal 

shelter."

"It's a shame he can't talk," Skinner mused aloud.

"Sir?"

"The dog is the only witness, Agent Scully. He knows what 

happened to Agent Mulder."

The idea struck them both at the same time. They exchanged 

hopeful glances, then both jumped from their seats. Within an hour, 

Skinner was parking his car at the railroad yard in the same place 

Mulder's car had been found the night before. Scully took charge of 

the dog, opening the back door and grabbing the end of its leash as 

she coaxed it out of the car. She took Mulder's lost glove from her 

coat pocket and waved it under the dog's snout to give it a scent. She 

had no idea what would happen if anything, but so far it was the only 

available method of finding her partner.

"Okay, Pooh. Go find, Mulder. Go find the other glove."

Without hesitation, the dog headed towards the rear of the 

warehouse. Scully had to run to keep up with its forceful tugging on 

the leash. Skinner ran alongside, adding his hand to the leash when it 

seemed that the animal might break free from Scully's hold. The dog 

made a stop in the area where the coat had been found, then turned 

and headed towards the train tracks. Pooh led them to the first row 

of tracks and stopped in the center of them. He turned to his right, 

then lifted his head and sniffed the air in that direction. He looked up 

at Scully as if to ask her if she smelled what he did.

"Dead end, huh?" said Skinner. "Well, it was worth a try."

"There was a train here," said Scully, looking up and down the 

now empty track.

"What?"

"There was a freight train parked here last night. Now it's gone."

"You think Agent Mulder was on that train?"

Scully looked down at the dog which had begun to tug hard on its 

leash. "Dammit! I thought I heard someone calling me last night. But 

there was so much noise going on.... It was Mulder. I'm sure it was him."

The ring on the dog's collar that held the leash in place, suddenly 

snapped off and the dog was making a mad dash down the track.

"Pooh!" Scully yelled after it "Come back!"

Skinner quickly let loose with a shrill whistle that got the dog's 

attention. It stopped and turned sideways on the track, looking back 

at the two humans bidding him to return. He glanced back towards 

the direction he had been running as if trying to choose between the 

two options. It didn't take long for him to make up his mind, and 

soon he was a white speck disappearing down an endless track.

--------

Chapter 3 of 4

On A Train Headed For Who Knows Where

Friday, 10:48 a.m.

The constant, clamorous chugging sounds and the shaky back and 

forth motion finally shook Mulder out of his sleep. As he awoke, he 

tried hard to ignore the throbbing ache in his shoulder, the soreness 

in his chest and the vice grip which was being constantly applied to 

his head. He felt his eyes slit open, meeting only with darkness once 

again. The train was in transit. Scully had not heard him. She had not 

come to his rescue. Her magical Mulder detector must have short-

circuited. He had been amazed at how his partner had managed to 

ferret him out in some of the most unusual of locations. She had 

tracked him to an abandoned satellite station in the jungles of Puerto 

Rico, and to the middle of nowhere Alaska with little more than a 

hunch to go on. Perhaps she just wanted to prolong the search, to 

make him appreciate her even more when she finally did rescue him. 

He'd give her another day, then after that, he'd take matters into his 

own hands.

Mulder slowly uncoiled from the tight ball he had curled himself 

into in order to help retain body heat. Joints cracked and muscles 

rebelled as he forced himself to sit up. The night had been a bit 

chilly, but with the train in motion, the car had warmed somewhat 

from the friction of the wheels underneath. Once comfortably -- as 

comfortable as he could be at present -- in an upright position, 

Mulder sought out the time on his watch. Pressing the tiny button, he 

was rewarded with a bright, green glow, which seemed nearly 

blinding after being subjected to the previous total darkness. He 

studied the digital numbers and date, and silently calculated the time 

thus far he had spent in his moving prison. Just a little more than 

twenty-four hours. It felt like an eternity.

Glancing up at the inaccessible exit, he wondered if he should 

give it another try. Perhaps someone had unlocked it at some point 

during the night as he slept. Before he could convince himself one 

way or the other about that, a movement caught his eye from the 

shadows at the far end of the car. He detected what appeared to be 

two, small iridescent green orbs floating eerily towards him. He slid 

backwards, contemplating escape but only succeeded in pressing 

himself into the curved, steel wall. His thumb lost its grip on the 

light giving button on his watch just as the fast approaching orbs 

were about to descend upon him. He screamed out in terror as 

something cold and wet pressed against his cheek and long, stiff hairs 

tickled his nose. Putting his hand up in defense, he made contact with 

thick, soft fur attached to a solid, warm body, large, erect ears, and a 

leather collar with a heart-shape piece of metal dangling from it. It 

took a few seconds for the messages his sense of touch were creating 

to finally translate in his mind.

"Pooh?" he uttered, his voice barely audible. The animal reacted 

instantly with a wet tongue lapping gently at Mulder's lips. "Okay, 

okay," Mulder groaned softly as he turned his head away from the 

sloppy kisses. He was convinced that it was definitely Pooh or either 

Scully was in dire need of a full body shave. The dog, thankfully, 

aborted his show of affection as Mulder found the light switch again. 

"God! You scared the crap out of me! How'd you get in here?"

Naturally, there was no answer forthcoming, leaving Mulder to 

wonder just how the animal had come to be trapped with him and 

how is it he hadn't noticed him earlier. Of course, he had to have 

been in the car all along, perhaps unconscious or asleep in a far 

corner. Mulder knew that some animals became quite docile when 

placed in a state of complete darkness, or perhaps all the screaming 

and noise Mulder had kept up earlier had left the pooch somewhat 

apprehensive. Mulder wanted to check the dog out to see if it had 

been injured, but wasn't sure what help he could offer even if it 

were. All he might do was touch some sensitive area and probably 

end up with his throat torn out. In his present condition, Mulder 

knew he was in no shape to defend himself should Pooh decide to 

pull a Cujo on him. So far, the dog only seemed to be interested in 

companionship as he sat close to Mulder and lightly rested his muzzle 

on his uninjured shoulder. It was probably a position he'd shared 

often with his owner.

Mulder raised his right hand and gave his new friend a couple of 

gentle pats on the head. "Sorry I got you into this mess," he spoke 

softly. If he had only taken the dog to the animal shelter as he had 

intended, he most surely would have avoided this latest fiasco. 

"Scully's gonna kill me," he groaned. Assuming she can find me, he 

thought to himself. Still, he might be able to get himself out of this. 

As soon as the train came to a stop, he could yell and bang on the 

sides to get someone's attention. He remembered seeing the word 

'Sugar' printed on the side of the car. It was probably going back to 

be refilled and someone at some point would have to take a look 

inside to clean it, hopefully.

It had been over twenty-four hours since Mulder had been 

imprisoned, and also since he'd last had anything to eat or drink. He 

was more thirsty than hungry though his stomach had begun to 

growl for nourishment. He wondered how long Pooh could hold out; 

how long before he was unable to control his natural instincts for 

survival and feed on the only other source of food in the place. 

Mulder had a flashback to Scully's little cannibal Queequeg snacking 

on its owner after the old woman passed away. He shuddered at the 

memory and at the thought of Pooh chowing down on his remains 

should they not be rescued in time. As if reading his mind and trying 

to alleviate his fears, Pooh nuzzled against him affectionately and 

lapped his chin with a warm, wet tongue. Another kiss? Or could he 

have been simply tasting his next meal?

"Yeah, you're all kissy-face now," said Mulder, carefully 

dissuading the gesture, "but give it another day or two and you'll be 

checking my pockets for Grey Poupon."

Despite the threat of becoming dog food, Mulder was actually 

relieved to have the animal as company. He recalled an incident a 

couple of years back when he had been kidnapped and placed in 

solitary confinement for two, mind-numbing weeks. He had been 

given a few comforts of home, food water and a bed, but what he 

found he had craved most of all was companionship. After the first 

week, even a loathsome cockroach would have been a welcomed 

roommate. Having the quiet canine present now made him feel rather 

relaxed considering the circumstances.

When something rolled against his leg, Mulder reached out 

blindly until he made contact. Recognizing immediately what it was, 

he smiled triumphantly, then switched the small flashlight on. The 

sudden brightness made him squint at first, but his eyes quickly 

adjusted from complete darkness to a narrow beam of light shining 

upwards.

"Al-l-right-ty then!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "How do you 

like that, Pooh? We've got light. At least for a while. Not sure how 

long the batteries will last though. They're fairly new, so maybe 

they'll last until we can get out of here."

Mulder aimed his flashlight straight ahead and saw that he was 

facing a side wall. The surface was smooth and shiny which reflected 

the small beam of light and added a bit more illumination to his 

confinement. He had explored his surroundings yesterday to see if 

there was another way out besides the hatch. Using the weak light 

from his watch he was able to determine that there was only one way 

in and one way out. It made him wonder about the sudden 

appearance of Pooh again. He had felt his way from one end of the 

car to the other and was fairly sure he would have stumbled upon the 

animal at some point as big as it was. Perhaps it had deliberately 

avoided making contact for whatever reason. Surely, if it had been 

alert it could have seen, heard and smelled him coming.

Mulder carefully tucked the pen-shaped flashlight into the folds 

of his makeshift headband so that he could light the area directly in 

front of him. He then shifted his attention to the dog, trying to decide 

if it was in good physical shape. If it was hurt in any way, it was 

nothing obvious. He recalled hearing a gunshot after his assailant had 

dumped him through the hatch. He had assumed that Pooh tried to 

attack the man, then was shot and killed, perhaps with an FBI issued 

revolver. He could kick himself for losing his gun again. And he 

could kick himself twice for not strapping on his spare ankle gun. He 

had been so preoccupied trying to figure out what to do about the 

dog that he had forgotten to get his backup weapon. By the time he 

had thought about it, he was already behind the wheel of his car and 

didn't feel like going back into his apartment. Besides, he was only 

going in to the office to do paperwork all day long. He hadn't 

planned on seeing any action. He should have known better.

As he looked at the steel wall directly across from him, Mulder 

wondered if he had shot a gun off in here to gain attention, if the 

bullets might not ricochet about and come back for him. Stainless 

steel walls inside and cast iron outside probably wouldn't be easily 

penetrated by twenty-two caliber bullets. He looked at the dog again 

and thought about how his little ankle gun could at least offer 

protection against a vicious animal should Pooh happen to go stir 

crazy or rabid or whatever.

Mulder jumped slightly as the dog suddenly got to his feet and 

trotted off towards the darkest end of the car. After a moment, he 

returned with a bag in his mouth and dropped it in front of his 

traveling companion. Mulder stared at it curiously at first, then 

realized what it was and where it had come from. It was a bag from 

McDonald's. It was what Mulder had seen the man he was following 

drop into the tank car. He reached for it and opened it up. Inside the 

bag, he found a balled-up napkin, a half-eaten sausage biscuit and a 

sealed cup containing about an ounce of orange juice.

Mulder broke the sausage biscuit in half and offered a portion to 

Pooh who sniffed at it first, then decided it was okay to be 

consumed. Mulder followed his example then took the lid off the 

orange juice. He didn't know if dogs drank orange juice, so he held 

the lid out to Pooh who sniffed it, then turned away with disinterest. 

Just as well, because there was only a swallow's worth which Mulder 

greedily gulped down. After breakfast, he placed the remnants back 

into the bag and sat it aside.

"Thanks, Pooh. That really hit the spot.... You know, you could 

have kept it all for yourself. I'm glad you didn't but, I guess I just 

figured that it's every man and dog for himself."

Mulder silently watched the dog as it pawed at the bag, then 

began to systematically rip it to shreds, perhaps out of boredom or 

simply it was something he enjoyed doing. A shooting pain in his 

shoulder reminded Mulder of its misalignment. He had managed to 

push all pain aside temporarily since discovering he had company. 

Now the adrenaline had drained away and he was acutely aware of 

every little twinge. At least the headache wasn't as bad as before. The 

dizzying pounding had dwindled down to a dull throbbing. His side 

was sore to the touch, so he decided to refrain from touching it. That 

left him to concentrate on how agonizing his shoulder had become. 

The thought of somehow shifting it back into position consumed his 

brain. He considered giving it one good slam into the wall as Mel 

Gibson had done, but wasn't completely sold on that idea. His arm 

needed to be pulled away from his body in order for it to snap back 

into its socket. With that thought in mind, Mulder looked towards 

Pooh again, noticing the massive jaws on the gentle animal.

"You like playing tug of war, Pooh?" Mulder asked as he 

unfastened the belt buckle which had been helping to keep his arm 

immobile. He winced in agony at the lost of support but gritted his 

teeth and continued. He decided to test his theory first by wrapping 

one end of the belt around his right hand and offered Pooh the 

opposite buckled end. The animal instantly abandoned the shredding 

of the paper bag and grabbed the leather belt, tugging on it with 

determination. Mulder held on a few seconds, verbally encouraging 

the dog to pull. "Okay, that's enough," Mulder told him, but was 

ignored. Pooh continued the tug-of-war game until Mulder finally let 

go of his end, causing the dog to stumble back a few feet. Pooh 

returned undaunted and dropped the belt in Mulder's lap, happily 

awaiting a rematch.

Mulder repositioned himself on his knees, his left side facing 

Pooh. After wrapping the end of the belt securely around his left 

hand, he again offered the other end to Pooh, though he kept a hold 

on it with his right so he could better control the outcome. As soon 

as the animal had the taste of leather in his mouth, he began pulling 

hard. Mulder waited until he felt that the animal was in just the right 

position, then he let go with his right hand and threw his body in the 

opposing direction. He let out a resounding yelp as his arm was 

yanked outwards and he felt his shoulder shift into a new location. 

Luckily, his cry startled the dog into dropping the belt, because he 

hadn't had either the sense or the ability to release his end. Cradling 

his screaming arm, Mulder sunk down on his haunches and attempted 

to catch his breath.

"Oh, God!," he moaned. "I'm not so sure that was a good idea."

--------

FBI Headquarters

12:45 p.m.

Scully wasn't one-hundred-percent convinced that her partner 

was on the train that had departed the night before, but as long as 

there was that possibility, she knew she had to follow up on it. Even 

with computers to track the trains whereabouts, locating an unknown 

freight car was not easy. As the train traveled, it dropped off and 

picked up cars along the way. During the night, the Westbound train 

Mulder was thought to be on had already made four stops and 

dropped off a total of twenty-eight cars, half at various locations in 

three states and the rest had been transferred to an engine heading 

South. So far, four of the first nine cars had been located and 

searched. Tracking and searching the cars which had already been 

dropped off wouldn't pose too much of a problem. However, the 

office director wasn't thrilled at stopping the trains that were in 

transit to search for a man who may or may not be on board. After 

all, he pointed out, he had a schedule to keep. Scully understood his 

dilemma and asked graciously for his continued assistance in the 

matter.

It would definitely help to know what type of car Mulder was on. 

That would narrow down the search. But the only person who would 

know that was Mulder and whomever he had followed to the train 

yard. Knowing her partner as she did, Scully had to assume that he 

had been following some sort of lead. She sat at her desk looking 

over the composite drawing the two emergency room attendants had 

come up with. This was the man her partner had been following 

instead of taking the dog to the shelter. As Scully wondered about the 

relevance of that, the words of Officer Garret came back to her. He 

had spoken to Mulder about a kidnapping investigation at a girls' 

school near the animal shelter. Mulder must have spotted the man 

under suspicious circumstances and decided to check him out.

Scully picked up the phone, and after a few minutes had made 

contact with the investigating detective on the case. He agreed to 

meet her at the home of the kidnapped girl. She showed the 

composite sketch to the parents who was able to ID him as the 

twenty-year-old, ex-boyfriend of their missing daughter. Like 

dominoes, everything began to fall into place. A surprise visit to the 

young man's garage apartment yielded the missing girl, alive and 

unharmed, asleep in her lover's bed. Billy McWhorter admitted 

easily to the scam he and the under-aged Donna concocted to extort 

money from the girl's father so they could run away together. It 

took a bit more coaxing down at police headquarters for him to 

admit to attacking a federal agent and locking him inside a freight 

car. He insisted that once he had the ransom money he had planned to 

make an anonymous phone call and let someone know about the 

trapped agent. Scully didn't buy that for one second, but she didn't 

bother to call him on it. At the moment he was being cooperative, 

telling her what she needed to know to help locate her partner. He 

was able to give a general description of the car but had no details of 

identifying words or numbers. Still, it was more than what she had 

before.

--------

The Train

1:24 p.m.

Pooh had settled down on Mulder's right side, letting his head 

rest on a long, slim thigh. His tail flipped happily back and forth as a 

hand smoothed over his head and half way down his back. The biting 

pain in Mulder's shoulder seemed to last forever, but after a few 

minutes, it curbed considerably, happy to be in its proper position 

once again. Mulder had replaced the belt again as a sling. Even 

though his shoulder felt better now, it was probably best to keep it 

immobile until he had it checked out by Dr. Scully. He knew she'd 

think him insane for doing what he had. He could have made things 

worse, but she'd forgive his stupidity. She always did.

As Mulder sat, languidly petting the dog, he thought back to 

another time and place. "I remember when I was a kid, it seemed 

like every family in the world had a dog except us. I begged my dad 

for a puppy for years, but he wouldn't give in at first because he 

didn't think I was responsible enough to take care of a dog. Then 

finally, for my tenth birthday, he and mom surprised me with a 

golden retriever puppy. I named him Shane, after that old Alan Ladd 

movie. He was a lot like you, personality-wise. Very gentle and 

friendly, playful. I taught him a few tricks. He was a great dog. I 

was crazy about him."

The faint smile which had crept onto Mulder's face began to 

quickly fade as he recalled with crystal clarity the events that led to 

Shane's premature demise. He had been throwing a Frisbee around in 

the front yard for the dog to catch. His father had warned him to 

stay in the backyard when playing, but there were too many obstacles 

in the way. Besides his mother's garden and several full-bodied trees, 

he had to maneuver around Samantha and her tea party, the jungle 

gym with swing set, the gazebo and the fish pond. The front yard 

was the only place a boy and his dog could enjoy a decent came of 

Frisbee tossing. However, a misdirected throw sent an eager to 

please retriever out into the street and into the path of a moving van.

"I hate that sound you guys make when you get seriously hurt.... 

He didn't make those sounds for long though. The truck got him 

pretty good. He wasn't even a year old." Mulder shook his head 

sadly. "I never wanted another dog after that. Goldfish became my 

pets of choice. You don't grow too attached to them and they die 

quietly."

Pooh turned partially over to expose his underside, then gently 

pawed at his new friend to redirect his petting. Mulder took the hint 

and rubbed his hand up and down the soft, white furred chest, setting 

off an ecstatic right hind leg motion in the process.

"God, you're easy to please," Mulder grinned. "Must be nice to 

find so much pleasure in something so simple. I wish my life could 

be so uncomplicated. Just lay back and have Scully rub me down.... 

Yeah, I could definitely go for that. But don't tell her I said so."

Mulder remembered shaking his head in pity when he saw Scully 

talking to her dog as if it could understand everything she said. She 

insisted that it did indeed understand quite a lot, though not 

necessarily the words, but rather the tone of the words and the body 

language she used. So far, Mulder's voice had been a raspy 

monotone, and the only body language he had used was in petting the 

animal, his words completely unrelated. Pooh could not possibly 

have a clue as to anything he was saying. Perhaps that's why it made 

talking to him so easy.

"It's kind of like talking to myself, only I'm not," Mulder 

continued his monologue. "People think you're crazy when you talk 

to yourself. But people who talk to animals, that's different. You 

know, they've done studies on the calming and regenerative effects 

animals, especially dogs and cats have on people. They even have 

programs where they take dogs and cats to hospitals and nursing 

homes so people can just pet them." Mulder smiled, thinking of this 

king-size canine with the wolf-like features going up to some little 

old lady in a wheelchair. "Somehow, Pooh.... I'm sorry, but that 

name. I mean, I know my name's not that great either, but you have 

to admit that yours is kind of wimpy sounding. It reminds me of the 

little sissy dog that Olive Oyl always forced Popeye to take for a 

walk, and he'd end up getting beat up by Bluto and his bulldog 

named Killer. But of course, in the end, Popeye fed the dog some of 

his spinach and they both kicked ass.

"Your name is something more like what Scully should have 

named her dog." Mulder grimaced. "I still can't believe she named it 

Queequeg. The first time I heard her call it that, I spit out coffee all 

over myself. I was talking to her over the phone and she was yelling 

at it to stop eating a plant or something. 'Queequeg! Leave that 

alone,'" Mulder did a poor imitation of his partner's voice. "I never 

really liked him though. I guess he sensed it because he snarled and 

snapped at me whenever I got too close. I suppose that's why I wasn't 

more sympathetic to Scully when she lost him. Actually, and I hate to 

admit this, but at the time I thought it was kind of funny in a sense. I 

know, I know it's sick, but just the thought of Scully out walking this 

little dust mop at night in the backwoods of Georgia with a reel-in 

leash and it gets away from her and gets eaten by a.... a creature."

He recalled how upset Scully had been when she had lost 

Queequeg. He didn't take her loss seriously in the beginning. After 

all, it was just a dog. It wasn't like it was a real person or anything. 

He had never understood people who took their relationship with 

their pets as seriously as they would a human family member or 

friend. At least his partner had not been one of those types to dress 

her dog in sweaters and hats and spend a fortune to have its nails 

painted and its hair coifed with pink ribbons. He, himself had flushed 

many a goldfish down the toilet without a twinge of regret. Fish 

were disposable pets. They were something soothing to watch until 

they began floating to the top, belly up. He hadn't realized at the time 

that Scully had lost more than just a disposable pet. She had lost 

unconditional love, trust and loyalty all wrapped up in one cuddly 

little ball of fur.

"I shouldn't have called Queequeg a dust mop. That wasn't nice. 

If it wasn't for me he'd still be alive. If I had given Scully more time 

to find someone to look after him so she wouldn't have to drag him 

along with us.... But I was in such a hurry to go chasing monsters 

and so insistent that she come with me, I didn't stop to think. But I 

know how dangerous X-File cases tend to get. They may seem like a 

bunch of unrelated coincidences on the surface, but they always turn 

out to be something more sinister and deadly than anyone could ever 

imagine. She knew better than to bring him along, but... she figured 

I needed her and she didn't want to let me down. And when she lost 

him, what was my reaction? Well for one, I was kind of pissed that 

she still didn't want to believe in legendary sea monsters. I really 

didn't care much about what she might be feeling. I was so self-

absorbed, all I cared about was catching sight of Big Blue. Which I 

never did because.... there is no such thing.

"Scully got me back for my insensitivity though. When we were 

out on that rock thinking we might become Big Blue's midnight 

snack, she really let me have it. She called me Ahab. Said that I was 

chasing a white whale and that I didn't care who I took down with 

me in my relentless search for the ever-elusive truth. It hurt to hear 

her say that. It hurt even more because I know it's true. I don't... I 

don't like to stop and think about all the people that have been hurt 

or killed because of me and my beliefs. And I don't know why Scully 

stays with me after all that's happened to her. I guess that's an X-file 

within itself." He sighed deeply as he considered his feelings towards 

his partner. "I don't know what I'd do without her. I've come so 

close on several occasions to having to find out.... I love her," he 

softly confessed. "I should probably tell her that someday, but those 

words don't come easy for me. Hell, I couldn't even say them to her 

when she was in the hospital dying of cancer. But I think she knows 

how I feel about her. She has to know.... She's my best friend."

--------

Railway Tracking Office

3:37 p.m.

When Scully took the new information back to the railway office 

and presented it to the director, he frowned uncomfortably. "Are 

you sure about this?" Jim Everett's words were laced with concern.

"As sure as I can be. Is there a problem?"

"The car you're describing is for foodstuff transport. It's 

specially designed to keep out moisture, rodents and bugs."

"Meaning?"

"It's air tight."

Scully did some quick figuring in her mind. "He's been in there 

for about thirty hours," she said. "How much air does he have left?"

The man shook his head, either choosing to ignore the question, 

or simply not knowing the answer. "Without knowing the exact 

serial number of the car, I still won't be able to pinpoint its location, 

but at least we have a good idea of what we're looking for. We'll 

find him," he offered her a reassuring smile.

"You didn't answer my question," Scully reminded him. "How 

much air does he have left?"

Everett eyed her evenly, knowing she wanted him to be straight 

with her. "Your partner has maybe another sixteen to eighteen 

hours of air, give or take. I'm sure that's plenty of time. Don't 

worry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."

Don't worry. Scully suppressed a pained chuckle at that thought. 

How many times had she heard that phrase associated with her 

partner? How many times had he used it to placate her? If she hadn't 

taken the time to worry about him when he didn't show up for work 

in the first place, she never would have known he was in trouble. A 

main part of her job decreed that she worry over him. And until she 

saw him safe and sound in front of her once again, she would 

continue her worrying.

"Damn you, Mulder," she swore under her breath, cursing his 

penchant for getting into trouble. Sighing deeply, she added, "Just 

hold on, Mulder. I'll find you."

--------

Chapter 4 of 4

The Train

Friday, 5.55 p.m.

"There was a farmer, had a dog...

and Bingo was his name-o.

B-I-N-G-O... B-I-N-G-O... B-I-N-G-O

and Bingo was his name-o.

"That's kind of a dumb name for a farmer, don't you think?" 

Mulder paused from his singing to ask the question of his stalwart 

companion whose ear he was playfully scratching. Pretending to 

receive a response, Mulder stated, "Yeah, I know, I know. That's the 

dog's name, not the farmer's. Hey, did you hear the one about the 

farmer with a wooden leg named Smith? He named his other leg 

Jones. Get it?"

Mulder became aware of the train slowing down. A few minutes 

later and it came to a complete stop. At last, he thought his rescue 

was assured. He began banging on the sides of the wall and yelling at 

the top of his lungs for several minutes. Finally, he stopped and put 

his ear to the wall, hoping to hear his partner's call in return. Mostly 

what he heard were train noises, the loud hissing of air brakes, the 

chugging sounds of nearby trains and warning whistles. It wasn't 

likely that anyone could hear him over all that racket, so he thought 

it best to wait until things quieted down a bit. After another moment, 

he felt the train moving again, but in the opposite direction. It moved 

slowly for perhaps a few hundred yards, then lurched to a stop.

"I think we're switching over to a different track."

Attempting to decipher the sounds and vibrations of the train, 

Mulder concluded that the engine was being disconnected from the 

freight cars. They had perhaps reached their final destination. It 

wouldn't be much longer, he thought. As soon as some of the 

external noise died down, he'd make himself heard. Someone was 

bound to be in the area to load or unload cargo. And of course, he 

still hadn't given up on Scully making a surprise visit.

"We've got to make some noise, Pooh," he said to his traveling 

companion after a half hour of anxious waiting. "We've got to let 

someone know we're here. Can you bark for me? Speak!" he gave 

the command, hoping that the dog had been trained to bark on cue. 

"Come on, Pooh, speak!" From the continued silent treatment he 

received, Mulder had to assume that the animal had no clue as to 

what he was saying. He thought then that a demonstration was in 

order. "Listen, I need you to bark. Like this: Woof woof, arf arf arf!"

In response, Pooh simply cocked his head sideways and stared at 

him with a furrowed brow, befuddled at the odd sounds emanating 

from his lips. Mulder sighed in defeat. "You know, you remind me 

of Scully during her first couple of weeks of working with me. After 

a while though, she finally got used to hearing weird shit coming out 

of my mouth."

Seeing that the dog wasn't going to assist him, Mulder considered 

the best way to make himself heard. He took off his right shoe then 

began pounding out an SOS with the heel against the side of the wall. 

He alternated that with an occasion verbal cry for help. Pooh backed 

away from him, skittish of his sudden strange behavior and all the 

racket he was keeping up. Mulder kept the clamoring going for a 

few minutes, then waited to hear a response. Nothing. He checked his 

watch for the time and felt hopeful that someone would happen by soon.

--------

The Train

Saturday, 2:55 a.m.

Mulder was terribly disappointed in Scully. She was quickly 

losing her Wonder Woman status with him. Again she had failed to 

show up and save the day, and no one had responded to his pleas for 

help. His throat was raw from constant yelling and his right arm sore 

from pounding on the wall. Off and on for hours, he'd kept it up 

until he'd seen that it was well past midnight. If there was no one 

around to hear him during the earlier part of the evening, he 

seriously doubted that anyone would be within earshot now.

Mulder sat in stony silence, his arms hugging his chest and his 

head resting against his drawn up knees, trembling from the cold. 

While the train was in motion, the friction of the wheels on the track 

had added a certain amount of warmth to the freight car. Now that 

the train was still, the temperature had dropped considerably. He 

raised his head and looked out into the blackness at the other end of 

the car. He could barely make out the eerie glow of the dog's eyes as 

the dim light from the penlight penetrated the darkness. The animal 

was lying down several feet away, apparently uncertain about the 

human opposite him.

"Sorry if I frightened you with the noise," said Mulder softly. 

"But I'm trying to get us out of here. You don't have to be afraid of 

me.... Then again... if you'd had the sense to be afraid of me in the 

very beginning, you wouldn't be in this mess. Just leave it to old Fox 

Mulder. If anyone can endanger your life or get you killed, it's me. 

Whether it's through personal contact or casual association, Fox 

Mulder can be your one-way ticket to hell."

Mulder slipped into a momentary state of depression as he 

silently paused to think of all the people whose lives had been 

sacrificed or drastically altered because of him and his efforts to 

uncover the truth or solve a case. Just thinking of half the dangerous 

situations he had put his partner through was enough to cause self-

loathing of his own existence. "I'm like a walking plague. I destroy 

the lives of practically everyone I come in contact with."

He hung his head dejectedly, primed to wallow in self-pity, but 

was startled out of it by the unexpected touch of a cold nose against 

his forehead. He quickly lifted his head and pulled back slightly as 

Pooh attempted to give him another nudge.

"What? What do you want?" Mulder found himself asking before 

realizing he wouldn't be getting a response.

The animal stood in front of him and nudged his knee with his 

muzzle. When his attempt at communication went unheeded, he made 

a whining sound and lifted his front paw to Mulder's leg.

"I know you want food, you want water, you want to get the hell 

out of here. Well so do I.... Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. We'll 

get out."

Pooh's nudging became a bit more forceful as he worked his 

snout between Mulder's knees. Uncertain of the dog's intentions at 

first, Mulder was reluctant to let it get closer, but after a moment, he 

finally understood what it was after. He spread his legs apart and 

welcomed Pooh into a one-armed embrace. Besides the instantaneous 

warmth the dog provided, Mulder could also feel the tiny tremors 

going through the animal's body. With the thick coat it wore, Mulder 

knew that it couldn't possibly be cold. It was undoubtedly scared, but 

of what was unclear. Perhaps it knew their fate already. Perhaps 

Pooh could already sense the fact that they were running out of air. 

Mulder had contemplated that possibility from the beginning but 

never wanted to dwell on it. If he were as selfish and uncaring as 

Scully's brother had made him out to be, he would take the dog's 

collar and pull it tight, snuffing out his competition for the 

remaining air and buying himself more time.

As Mulder nestled his face against a deep, downy muscular neck 

and plowed his fingers through the thick, soft undercoat, he felt the 

trembling ease under his touch. Mulder knew he could never do 

anything to harm his new friend, even if it meant saving his own life. 

--------

Indianapolis Freight Yard

Saturday, 4:22 a.m.

Scully drove up and parked alongside an emergency vehicle and a 

row of three police cars. As soon as she stepped out, a tall, balding 

middle-aged man stepped up to greet her.

"Agent Scully?" he inquired. Receiving a tired nod, he introduced 

himself. "I'm Lt. Devlin. I've had some of my people and about a 

dozen of the train crew searching through the freight cars. I'm 

afraid your partner's nowhere to be found."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. She had been up all night 

waiting for confirmation as to the train's location. According to the 

computer shipping records, this was the last possible train Mulder 

could have been on. All other cars matching the description had 

already been found and searched. If Mulder wasn't on any of these 

cars, that meant the search had to start over from the beginning. It 

could have been that Billy had been mistaken about the type of car he 

had locked Mulder in. He had been given a lie detector test, so Scully 

felt sure that he had been honest about what had happened. He didn't 

have a criminal record and had been the typical boy next door until 

he had been influenced by a fifteen-year-old vixen who was mature 

beyond her years.

So if Billy had given the right information, something had to 

have occurred along the way. Either Mulder had been rescued by 

someone at some point and no one had reported it yet, or a computer 

error had sent them chasing after the wrong train. That possibility 

Scully didn't want to have to think about just yet. She looked to Lt. 

Devlin and asked, "Could you please have your people search again?"

The detective was about to tell her that their search had been 

thorough, but after one look in those sad but hopeful, aqua blue eyes 

and he conceded to her wishes. He knew he'd want his own partner 

to go that extra mile if it were him. He nodded, and immediately 

called out to his small army of searchers to take it from the top. This 

time they'd have one more pair of dedicated eyes working with them.

--------

The Train

8:22 a.m.

It was getting harder to breathe. The oxygen was just about gone. 

Mulder lay curled on his right side, gasping for air like a fish out of 

water. His traveling companion lay nestled close, still providing that 

much needed warmth, but little else. He hadn't moved in quite some 

time, leaving Mulder to guess that the animal was unconscious. 

Scully was really cutting it close again. Why couldn't she ever get to 

him before he was facing that white light at the end of the tunnel? 

He'd had near-death experiences before, and as much as he loved 

discovering life's mysteries, that was one place he didn't like to visit 

too often.

Suddenly, Pooh raised his head from where it had rested in the 

crook of Mulder's neck, and began a low growl. Mulder tensed, 

thinking that the animal had finally been driven mad from the lack of 

food, water and now oxygen. Mulder covered his head protectively 

with his uninjured arm as if that would keep the sharp teeth and 

claws at bay. Pooh barked once softly, as if clearing his throat. He 

then got to his feet and began using his voice at full volume which 

Mulder found compatible to having some teenager blasting a boom 

box in his ear. Pooh moved quickly away from the form lying at his 

feet and trotted towards the opposite end of the car, his yapping 

becoming more intense by the minute.

Mulder lifted his head cautiously and stole a glance, still 

uncertain of what was going on until Pooh silenced himself for a 

moment. It was barely audible to his ears, but gradually the sound 

from outside became clearer. "...doggie on the train!" It was a 

child's voice calling out in response to the dog he or she had heard 

barking from within the sealed freight car. Mulder opened his 

mouth, attempting to make his presence known, but found that the 

lack of sufficient air in his lungs and a raw throat made speech 

impossible. Oddly enough, Pooh had no problems filling his lungs 

and expelling a high-decibel howl, which received more attention 

from outside. "Doggie!" the child spoke loud and clear enough for 

Mulder to easily pick up, "Daddy, daddy! There's a doggie on the 

train!"

The voice faded out as the child moved off into the distance, 

hopefully to bring help. Pooh trotted back over to Mulder and 

nuzzled his chin almost as if to tell him to hang in there a bit longer, 

help was on the way. Mulder managed a grateful smile and one last 

affectionate pat on the head before losing consciousness.

-------- 

Grady Memorial Hospital

Sunday, 2:34 p.m.

Mulder opened his eyes to a wondrous sight. A big grin stretched 

across his face as he found his voice. "Just like old times," he spoke 

in little more than a whisper.

"Yeah, just like old times," Scully replied with a relieved smile. 

"How do you feel?"

"Lucky." He looked towards the window, not recognizing the 

view outside. "How far did my train ticket take me?"

"We're in Atlanta."

He raised his brows in surprise. "Land of the free, home of the 

Braves." He cleared his throat to get a bit more volume, then asked, 

"Can I get a little water, please?"

"Sure."

There was a pitcher of water nearby and Scully poured some for 

him and held the glass while he sipped from the straw.

"Thanks," he said, letting her know when he'd had his fill.

"Anytime."

"Where's my little buddy? Is he all right?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"You know, the short, four-legged guy with fur."

"Oh, you mean the dog?"

"He's okay, isn't he?" Mulder asked showing marked concern.

Scully sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Mulder, but we lost him."

"Lost him?" Mulder felt his heart sink. He had lived while Pooh 

had died. 

"Yeah, he just ran away."

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in. Pooh wasn't dead. 

"He ran away?"

"Yeah. Well, at first I had him placed in an animal shelter for 

safe keeping, but then, A.D. Skinner and I got this idea that perhaps 

he could lead us to you since he was our only witness at the time. 

Anyway, we took him back to where we had located your car and at 

first, he led us to where we had found your coat earlier, then he 

went straight to the railroad tracks. That's when I realized that you 

must have been on the train that had been parked there the night 

before. Then, all of a sudden, Pooh broke free from his leash and he 

started running down the railroad track almost as if he was chasing 

after the train. We tried to stop him, but...." Scully noticed the 

bewildered look on her partner's face. "What?"

"He... he caught up with the train," said Mulder, his brows 

furrowed in thought. "I didn't think he was there before, but he must 

have caught up and somehow got inside the car with me."

"What?"

"He was on the train with me, Scully."

"Mulder, you must have been dreaming."

"No. He was there, Scully. I talked to him, I petted him. He 

helped keep me warm."

Scully shook her head sympathetically. "I don't know what to tell 

you Mulder, but there was no dog in that freight car with you. Even 

if he had been able to catch up to you, there was no way he could 

have opened the hatch to let himself inside and then lock it again 

from the outside."

"How did you find him to begin with? Was he still in my car?"

"No. I went to your apartment looking for you and he just 

showed up. Right at the main entrance, he nearly knocked me over, 

jumping up on me. Going by your description earlier, I assumed he 

was the dog you'd found. He had one of your gloves, then I found 

traces of blood on him and thought that perhaps he had attacked you. 

It turned out that he had attacked the man who had thrown you into 

that train car."

"Did you catch the guy?"

"Yes. Billy McWhorter. The kidnapping you stumbled onto was a 

ruse set up by him and his girlfriend to extort money from her 

father so they could run off and get married. Mr. McWhorter 

claimed that he hadn't intended for you to be hurt. He believed that 

you had caught on to him and he just wanted you out of the way long 

enough for him to get the money and run. He said he planned to call 

the police later and inform them of your situation. At any rate, he 

described the car you were in. Unfortunately, due to a clerical error, 

we were unable to pinpoint your exact location."

"I was wondering what took you so long," Mulder teased lightly. 

"But, Scully, I swear to you, it wasn't my imagination. He was there 

with me. My dislocated shoulder..." Mulder nodded towards his left 

arm in a sling, "he helped to reset it."

"The dog reset your shoulder?" Scully questioned dubiously.

"He helped," Mulder emphasized. "We were playing tug of war 

with my belt and I figured that maybe, if pulled just right, I could 

get my shoulder to pop back into place."

"Mulder, that was very dangerous. You could have done some 

serious damage."

"So you believe he was there?"

"Not necessarily."

Mulder tilted his head to one side as he looked at her. "That 

didn't sound exactly like a, 'No'."

"Actually, the real reason we were able to locate you in time was 

due to a six-year-old girl whose father works for the rail line. He's a 

little hard of hearing, so he can't actually verify it, but his daughter 

insisted that she heard some barking coming from inside one of the 

freight cars. When he checked it out, all he found was you. I don't 

suppose that you were so delirious that you were barking like a dog?"

"I wasn't delirious."

"But you were barking like a dog?"

"Earlier, when the train first stopped, I tried to get Pooh to bark, 

but he wouldn't. I guess he knew there was no one close enough to 

hear. But, anyway, I tried demonstrating what I wanted him to do."

"So you're saying that you were trying to show an imaginary dog 

how to bark?"

"Is that what you truly believe?" Mulder asked with a hurt tone. 

"That it was all my imagination?"

Instead of answering, Scully stared thoughtfully for a moment at 

Mulder's IV, then said, "I went to see Pooh's owner the day he ran 

away."

"And?"

"She said that it couldn't have been her dog. She used to have one 

just like it though. She showed me pictures. But her dog died last 

month from problems associated with aging. She believes it's just a 

coincidence that this dog should have the same nickname that she 

called hers, but she thinks that the phone number on his ID tag is 

probably a misprint. She said she's had recent calls from people who 

have encountered him, people wanting to reward him for saving 

lives, or for helping during emotional crises. She says she'd love to 

see this dog for herself but no one has ever been able to hang on to 

him. Apparently, he does his duty and just disappears."

"Scully, are you saying that he's a ghost dog?"

"No, Mulder, I was leaving that for you to say."

"You have to admit it's strange how he just came out of nowhere. 

Maybe he knew ahead of time that I was going to get into trouble."

"It doesn't take a ghost dog to know that sooner or later you will 

get into trouble, Mulder."

"But why did I take to him the way I did? I'm not a dog person, 

Scully. I don't make a habit of befriending big, wolf-like, strays. 

And why did he go to you? What made him go back to my apartment 

building and single you out? Maybe he wasn't a ghost. Maybe he was 

the reincarnation of a recently deceased person who was given the 

opportunity to return to earth in order to avenge his own death or 

redeem himself by helping out someone else who might be in danger, 

only he had to take on the form of a dog to do it.."

"Mulder, you're describing the movie "Oh, Heavenly Dog!" with 

Chevy Chase and Benji."

"Well, then maybe he's my guardian angel."

"Your guardian angel?"

"Yeah. How do you think you always manage to find me when I 

ditch... when we become separated and I end up in serious trouble? I 

know you're a good investigator, Scully, but you have to admit that 

it sometimes take a miracle to pull it off."

That statement she couldn't argue with. Deciding to change the 

subject, Scully asked, "So what did you talk about with your doggie 

friend?"

"You mean my imaginary doggie friend?" Mulder shrugged, not 

wanting to reveal what really transpired. "Actually, he did most of 

the talking," he quipped. "He uh... he started out complaining about 

how much he really hates cats. Both the animal and the musical. 

Then he told me that the rubber from certain chew toys leave a nasty 

aftertaste in his mouth. And at one point, he was trying to enlighten 

me as to the significance of butt sniffing... I think I must have fallen 

asleep during that though."

Scully chuckled lightly and watched as her partner unsuccessfully 

tried to keep a straight face, then he held his hand out to her. She 

placed her palm in his and received a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry about Queequeg," he said out of the blue.

Scully raised her brows in total shock, wondering where the heck 

that had come from. "Mulder, that was a long time ago and you've 

already given me your condolences."

"But they weren't exactly heartfelt. I told you I was sorry about 

your dog's death because it was expected of me, but I really didn't 

understand what it was you were actually going through at the time. 

I had forgotten what it was like to have a pet like that and lose it."

He had surprised her yet again. "You... you had a dog once?"

"When I was a kid, before Samantha left.... And it was my fault 

that he ran out into the street and got hit by a truck. I'd pretty much 

forced myself to forget. When I was on that train with Pooh, I was 

forced to remember again. And I also thought about you and 

Queequeg.... You still miss him?" 

Scully took a moment to think about it, then nodded. "Sometimes. 

I know you didn't get along with him well, but he really was very 

sweet, very affectionate. He'd make me smile when I didn't really 

feel like it. He was always so happy to see me when I got in. He'd 

leap into the air and spin around in circles, his whole body would be 

shaking with excitement."

"Oh, just like me. I'm doing all that internally right now," 

Mulder teased.

Scully smiled lightly, but it soon faded as she shook her head with 

remorse. "I keep thinking that I should've held on tighter to that 

leash, that I should've taken you up on your offer to accompany me 

when I took him for that walk or that--"

"You should've stayed home with him when you realized you 

couldn't get anyone to dog-sit for you."

"You didn't exactly leave me much of a choice, Mulder."

"I know. But I should have, and I'm sorry. He was special to you, 

and I'm sorry I didn't understand that at the time."

"He really had an effect on you, didn't he?"

"Queequeg?"

"No. Pooh. Whether he was real or imaginary on that train, he 

had a profound effect on you."

Mulder shrugged lightly and said, "Yeah, well, guardian angel 

ghost dogs always have a profound effect on me."

--------

Quiktrip Gas Station

Monday, 9:45 a.m.

On the way to the Atlanta Hartsfield airport, Scully stopped off to 

fill the tank on the rental car. After pumping the gas, she was miffed 

to find that the credit card taker was out of receipt paper and she'd 

have to go inside the store after all. She asked her partner if he 

wanted her to bring him anything back, and Mulder simply shook his 

head. He was still feeling a bit weak from his ordeal and all he 

wanted to do was rest. He watched as Scully went into the store and 

disappeared behind the cappuccino machine. As his eyes trailed back 

towards the front windshield, he spotted something in the outside 

rearview mirror. By the time he'd unbuckled his seat belt and bolted 

from the car, the vision he'd seen in the mirror was gone. Mulder 

glanced all about and caught sight of a flash of white as it turned the 

corner of the building.

Mulder gave chase, and as he rounded the corner, he had to 

quickly put on the brakes to keep from tripping over his quarry. 

Pooh sat waiting for him just a few feet away from the edge of the 

building. Mulder squatted down and held out his hand. The animal 

went to him instantly, showering him with wet, doggie kisses. 

Mulder smiled and gave the dog a loving hug.

"Hi, boy. You got away before I had a chance to say thanks. You 

saved my life, Pooh. Lassie couldn't have done it any better."

"Mulder?" Scully called out, a tinge of worry in her tone.

"Here, Scully."

"Here, where?"

Mulder stood and turned, peeking his head around the corner so 

that his partner could see him. "Over here. Come see who I found."

It only took Scully a few seconds to reach him. "So who'd you 

find?" she asked, looking about for whomever it was he wanted her 

to meet.

Mulder's jaw dropped when he turned to see that Pooh was gone. 

There didn't seem to be any obvious places he could have gone that 

quickly. Mulder ran to the back of the building and saw nothing but 

a fenced area designed for trash pickup.

"Mulder, what is it?"

"He was here, Scully. The dog was here just a second ago."

"What do you think he wanted?"

It was a strange thing for her to ask, she knew, but she was too 

weary to argue with him or accuse him of seeing things. Mulder 

seemed taken aback by the question and had no immediate response. 

After giving it some thought, he shrugged and said, "I guess he 

wanted... to say good-bye."

Scully nodded, then put an arm around his back to urge him 

towards the car. "We've got a plane to catch, Mulder."

When they reached the car, Scully got inside and proceeded to 

adjust her seat belt while Mulder lingered outside the passenger 

door. He looked back towards the side of the building and saw Pooh 

sticking his head around the corner. Mulder nearly took his eyes 

away to inform his partner, but thought better of it. Instead, he gave 

a nod towards his temporary friend and spoke in a whisper.

"Good-bye, Pooh. Give my regards to Shane and Queequeg."

Pooh tilted his muzzle upwards in what appeared to be an 

answering nod of his head, then he turned away and disappeared 

behind the building again. Mulder finally opened the door and 

climbed inside. As he buckled himself in, he felt his partner's steady 

gaze on him. He cringed at the thought of what she might say. When 

he turned to look at her, he saw an amused scowl on her face.

"Is that a gray hair I see, Mulder?"

"Where?" he blurted out with unintentional panic in his voice.

Scully reached up and plucked a thick, white strand from his 

bangs. Examining it closely, she came to a new conclusion. "It's pet 

hair."

Proof, Mulder thought. Proof was what his wonderful, practical 

partner always insisted upon. He eyed her expectantly, waiting for 

her to begin spewing perfectly logical explanations as to where the 

hair she held, plus the others he noticed clinging to his black, denim 

jeans and jacket had come from. Scully, on the other hand, was 

waiting for him to start spouting off his bizarre theories as to why a 

guardian angel ghost dog would be shedding. But she didn't want to 

question or belittle his beliefs at the moment. She was just so happy 

to have him alive and well and back in her life again that the rest 

didn't really matter. She managed to convey that to him with bright 

eyes and a gentle smile. Dense as he was at times, Mulder picked up 

on her silent message easily. He didn't want to argue either. He 

warmly returned her smile, then casually brushed away the evidence 

from his clothing. Scully let the hair strand she'd been holding fall 

away, then turned her attention to driving. Mulder reclined his seat, 

closed his eyes and blithely relived his tenth birthday.

--------

The End

In loving memory of Dynamite, (aka Pooh) 1984-1997

with a special nod to his predecessor Shane, 1970-1980


End file.
